According to NHL.com's Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's been given the OK to play without the jaw protection "headgear" he had to don after he returned from a broken jaw:

To protect his jaw and teeth that were damaged when a puck deflected up into his face March 30, Crosby was required to wear a clear plastic apparatus that extended from his helmet down around the lower part of his face.

"I kind of liked seeing the pictures with him in it," coach Dan Bylsma quipped after practice Sunday. "Those playoff-type of pictures with that on there. But now he can show off his beard a little more."

Sporting a straggly playoff beard, Crosby shrugged off the significance of the removal of the mask.

"I think [taking a] 'step' is probably a big word for taking a little thing off my helmet. It feels weird, actually, because you're used to wearing a full face [shield] for a month," Crosby said. "It actually feels a little bit weird but definitely much better. In terms of getting air and seeing and everything like that, it's much better."

Continued